


Gift Giving

by Okadiah



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Crime Fighting, Gift Giving, Holidays, M/M, Venom doing his best to treat his host, Yuletide 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 18:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16979625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okadiah/pseuds/Okadiah
Summary: Eddie should've known that something was up, especially once Venom found out about gift giving and the holidays. He should've known better.Because really. Leave it to Venom to orchestrate a shootout, put him in the middle of it, and call it a gift.





	Gift Giving

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Highsmith (quimtessence)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quimtessence/gifts).



Eddie stared at the small hoard of gun-wielding, knife-carrying angry people around him ready to put holes in his body and end his life, and wondered what the _hell_ Venom had been thinking.

To be fair, he'd known his symbiote was up to something. He'd felt it for over a week now, but every time he'd tried to broach the subject, Venom had deflected. Insisted he had a surprise for Eddie, something he'd like, Venom swore. Eddie had been too distracted to really press the matter, what with the investigating and reporting he was doing into San Francisco's homeless problem now that winter had arrived and the streets were cold. Besides, Venom was allowed his own secrets, just like Venom allowed Eddie his. It was how their relationship worked, especially now that they’d progressed from host and symbiote to something more intimate. That was the deal.

Now that he was looking down the muzzle of a gun, in retrospect he wished he'd pressed harder.

"Who the hell are you?" the Head Honcho demanded, face furious. "Where the _hell_ did you come from?"

"Vee?" Eddie asked, raising his hands to keep the peace for as long as possible. "What are you doing?"

**_It's called a gift, Eddie,_** Venom replied proudly from where he waited at the back of Eddie's mind. **_I did research, and Mrs. Chen and Anne helped me understand some of your human customs. It's the season for gift giving, and I wanted to give you one._**

" _This_ is your gift?"

"Hey! Something wrong with you, asshole?" Head Honcho scowled. "Did Big Rocky send you? He did, didn’t he! Well don't worry, you're going back, but you aren’t gonna like how."

**_I thought you could use a good fight,_** Venom said. **_You've been pent-up, Eddie, all work, work, work. And although it's great and selfless of you that you always let me fight and have fun, I want to repay the favor. So I thought it would be nice to let you do the fighting instead! And you don't even need to worry, I did the research. They're all bad people._**

"Oh, great," Eddie said weakly, the fact that Venom had done something as considerate as ensuring he fought ‘bad’ people taking a distant second to making sure they didn’t get killed. "Thoughtful, Vee, you shouldn't have."

"Who the fuck are you talking to?" a fierce looking woman demanded out of the crowd. Eddie opened his mouth, searching for the right words before failing.

"Uh ... my alien parasite?"

**_Parasite!_ **

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Head Honcho snapped, gun clacking threateningly as he cocked it, finger tightening on the trigger. "Let's see if you find this funny."

Reacting instinctively, Eddie focused on the connection he shared with Venom and a flare of black goo erupted to stop the bullet just as the gun went off. There was only a moment to respond, and Eddie took it without thinking.

"Mask!" Eddie shouted as he threw himself back, growing space between himself and Head Honcho, his gun, and the small army of illegal weapons rising to the occasion. "Venom!"

**_Have fun, Eddie,_** Venom encouraged as he stopped a small volley of bullets now that it was open season on them. **_This is your gift. Use us. Use our strength._** Alien flesh encased his body, protecting him. Strengthening him. Empowering him. **_Fight, Eddie. Enjoy it._**

Instead of having one hand on the proverbial steering wheel while Venom had the other – or being the passenger to Venom's antics as he rampaged – Eddie found himself fully in control of their masked body, with all of Venom's powers and abilities at his complete disposal.

As always the sensation of being masked felt incredible. Energy moved readily throughout his body, every sense heightened as alien flesh flowed and adapted to whatever the environment threw at them. Bullets collided with his glossy, black skin painlessly, and fell to the ground with delicate rain-like clicks.

"What that fuck?" someone yelled, but with so much energy abruptly at his disposal, Eddie found he could only smile.

**"You're in for it now,"** Eddie said as his mind melded with Venom's. Venom _had_ done his homework. These were very bad people. And it was definitely time that they were taught a lesson.

And since this _was_ a gift, and Venom’s encouragement was only feeding into the situation, Eddie decided the only appropriate course of action was to enjoy it.

He curled and uncurled his clawed fingers. He grinned. **"Who's first?"**

And in a flurry of movement, he tore through the gang with a growing sense of satisfaction, pleasure, and perhaps a tad more glee than he’d ever admit out loud.

It was impossible to tell how much time he spent masked, enjoying Venom's power, but Eddie didn't need the symbiote’s help making the best of it. He tripped and strung people up with lightning fast tentacles, restrained them, beat them, toyed with them as they tried and failed to hurt him. It was wonderful. Venom might have been right about a bit of pent-up aggression, and although he knew Anne wouldn't like this, Venom didn't judge him. Venom understood, and even offered creative ways to keep the thugs ‘engaged’.

He didn't eat them, though. The hunger gnawed at him, that was true – it always did – but that was the line he personally wasn't willing to cross. Not of his own volition.

**_It would taste good. You know that, Eddie,_** Venom said as Eddie used spare bits of rebar to tie the beaten assholes up where they sat limp and groaning. **_It would be a waste._**

**"If we see them again, then _maybe_ we'll eat them,"** Eddie said, causing a semi-conscious man to whimper. **"Until then, this is my gift, and this is enough for me. Besides, the police are here. We need to go."**

Sirens and flashing lights filled the air outside the shattered windows, and now that Eddie had had his fun and all the threats were collected, restrained, and ready for police custody, they sailed out of the building, using tentacles and Venom's strength to sling them quickly away and into the shadows, out of sight.

They didn't go home, however, not yet. Instead Eddie stopped on a rooftop a quarter of a mile away, letting Venom unmask him as he glanced back. Venom didn't sink completely back in, however. He manifested a head, his teeth shining in the faint moonlight.

**"Did you like it?"** Venom asked eagerly. **"Did you like my gift?"**

Eddie stared at Venom. In the distance, beyond the alien’s floating head, police lights lit the night. Adrenaline laced Eddie’s blood. He could still feel the symbiote’s power, even as the memory of the fight and the pure, liberating freedom of it etched itself in his mind. His symbiote really wanted to know if he'd _liked_ it?

A grin slid along Eddie’s lips as he continued to savor the latent buzz of action that hummed in his muscles. He wasn't entirely sure it was all his, given how tightly he and Venom were bound together, but it didn't matter. It was real. It was theirs.

"Yeah, Vee," Eddie said, reaching for the alien. "It was great, and you were right. I had a great time. That _might_ have been the best gift I’ve ever received.” He smiled at Venom. “Now come here."

Venom's head flowed closer, the dark substance of his form shifting until they were practically nose to goo.

**"You really liked it, Eddie?"**

"I did," he said softly. "You're perfect, you know that? Even if you are a little weird and unpredictable sometimes.”

That said, Eddie let his intentions bleed into their bond and Venom met his kiss halfway.

As always it was both the strangest and most sensual sensation. Venom's tongue, as usual, was already in his mouth, black alien lips covering the rage of sharp teeth that always emphasized his gruesome smiles. But whereas under normal circumstances Venom would plunder Eddie's mouth as if searching for treasure, this time it was gentler. Less plundering more caressing and Eddie was eager to take the lead, drunk on the taste of Venom. Kissing his symbiote was like trying to solve an addictive mystery. No matter how often they did this, Eddie still couldn't place the taste of the alien's mouth.

His hands slipped along the slick flesh of Venom, holding his face close, tilting it just right, and he only pulled away when his need for air pressed too hard for him to ignore.

"I loved it," Eddie admitted into the quiet around them. "I really did."

Venom hummed, pressing his brow against Eddie's in contentment, and Eddie enjoyed this. Happy to share it with this other half of him. And since Venom had started this impromptu ‘gift-giving’ event, Eddie thought now would be a good time to give his own.

"You know, I have a gift for you too," Eddie said. "I was gonna wait, but what the hell. Listen, I'm not gonna use the p-word anymore." He grinned. "Promise."

Surprise flooded their bond as Venom's eyes widened, but Eddie supposed he wasn't too surprised when they narrowed at him.

**"You'd better keep it,"** Venom said coolly. **“Because I’m _not_ a parasite.”**

"I will, scouts honor," he insisted. "It's kinda why I've been using it a little more lately, so you'd notice. And so you'd know I meant it when I stopped."

**"So you weren't _completely_ being a douche. You didn't mean it."**

"Eh, sometimes I meant it," Eddie admitted. "But for the most part? No. And I'm sorry for all the times I did say it. You're not a p-word. Not to me."

Venom cocked his head curiously. **"Then what am I?"**

"You," Eddie said with an honest smile, "are kinda everything to me, now."

Venom stared at him and within their bond he could feel the symbiote searching for lies or tricks or half-truths, but there were none, and Eddie let him know it. When the alien was done, he could only gaze at him in wonder.

**“You are a sappy pussy.”**

Eddie gave Venom a frank look. “Hey now.”

**“But you’re mine,”** Venom carried on before he coiled close around Eddie as if he’d never let him go. **“And I think I love that about you.”**

Tender warmth flooded Eddie’s chest.

“You think?”

Venom grinned teasingly.

**“Yes. I think.”**

Eddie gave him a mock glare with no heat and the very edge of an amused smile. “Well, you’re lucky I can’t call you the p-word anymore, huh?”

Venom all but preened with satisfaction, and Eddie laughed, amazed at the turn his life had taken and how he couldn’t imagine things any other way.


End file.
